Imperium Offtopicum VI
Imperium Offtopicum VI: Rise of the Lost (abbreviated IOT6) was taillesskangaru's "back-to-basics" instalment following the more complex IOT5, IOT2, and a host of spin-offs. It was the last "classical" IOT not to calculate actual army sizes. It ran for ten updates from December 8, 2010, to its petering out at the end of January after tailless handed responsibility to ZeletDude, who in turn passed it to Toteone. Game mechanics The game was set in the year 2101 with roughly-2010-era technology. Updates were slated after a minimum of 48 hours, representing a year in-game. In an effort to separate the wheat from the chaff, the game featured a separate "Claims Thread" devoted to players' orders for the turn that took precedence over anything discussed in the main thread. It was heavily policed against off-topic discussion and spam. Territory New players began with 10 territories either contiguous or situated along the coastline. A nation could expand up to five territories per turn in peacetime; single-province and single-pixel regions (excepting Greenland) were half-price. Player claims could be traded, but could not be 'banked'. Players in control of certain regions could block the use of straits, denying other players the ability to claim or attack territory beyond. Economy While the game lacked an actual economic model, it featured "Leadership Points" that could be used for combat, espionage, and nuclear research. Players had five LPs per turn in peacetime and ten in wartime; like expansion points, they could be traded, but not banked. Players could invest LPs into developing a nuclear program through an initial investment of 10 LPs; subsequent spending increased the probability of a successful test, unlocking nuclear weapons for purchase. Combat Battles were calculated through RNG. Players could attack any neighbouring territory or coastal province, assuming they had a sea route. Players could conduct as many attacks as they had LPs; unused attacks contributed to defensive rolls. Stacking LPs produced multiple rolls, with the highest numbers used for final comparison, although the rules were later amended to limit stacking to five rolls. Players could conduct joint attacks, and even attempt blitzes to capture territories further in. Nuclear weapons Nuclear missiles cost 5 LPs and could strike any territory to turn it neutral. There was a 20% risk, however, of rendering the target an impassable wasteland. Use of nukes could trigger embargoes and/or national strikes that suspended LP claims for a turn. The game also featured a Doomsday Counter that would inflict "horrible things" at every multiple of ten. Diplomacy Diplomacy was almost completely player-to-player, although agreements were not tracked on the front page. Like other games, IOT6 featured the "Integrated United Nations" as a world forum; while ostensibly a mediating body, it reserved the right to arbitrate conflicting territory claims, putting the decision to a public vote. Espionage IOT6 featured a list of spy missions that could be conducted in peace and war, 'purchased' with LPs. Additional spending increased the success odds and lowered discovery chance, capped at 90% and 10%, respectively. External links * Imperium Offtopicum VI game thread ** Second thread, GMed by ZeletDude ** Third thread, Gmed by Toteone